Hearts first-team squad set to be reshuffled with players pushing for promotion

How many come and go will, to an extent, depend on where the club finish in the cinch Premiership and what European competition they might then enter. A number of alterations will be made to add fresh hunger for the challenge of season 2023/24.

The more experienced figures Hearts recruit, the less space for promising young players to graduate to first-team level. Recent signing sprees have brought names like Lawrence Shankland, Beni Baningime and Robert Snodgrass to Tynecastle Park, although not all signings have made the impact of those three.

Several B team players are developing in the Lowland League under coach Steven Naismith with promotion to the senior group viewed as something of a holy grail. Too few home-grown Riccarton talents have reached that level over the last few years. Finlay Pollock, the 18-year-old midfielder, made the step into manager Robbie Neilson’s first-team squad, but injuries have restricted his game time.

There are a few other protagonists eager to earn the same opportunity who might be given a chance come pre-season time. Three in particular have been on the first-team substitutes’ bench this term without managing to make it on to the pitch yet.

Striker Makenzie Kirk, 19, midfielder Macaulay Tait, 17, plus 16-year-old winger Bobby McLuckie are all on the very fringes of a breakthrough. Fans who regard youth development as a priority want more academy pupils involved at the top level, provided they possess sufficient ability and quality.

McLuckie’s two goals for Scotland Under-17s in a 4-2 defeat by Wales last month underlined his potential as a speedy, goalscoring wide player with a useful left foot. He has three goals in six Under-17 caps to date and is clearly one for the future.

There is a void in the Hearts senior squad for a left winger with Gary Mackay-Steven injured and out of contract this summer. However, it would be wise to remain cautious with one so young as McLuckie is nurtured over the next couple of years. He was on the bench in February when Rangers won 3-0 at Tynecastle. Other little nibbles like that may come his way over the coming months.

Kirk is the son of former Hearts striker Andy and boasts a healthy scoring ratio at youth level. Neilson handed him a senior debut exactly a year ago at Ross County, when he came on as a substitute in the dying moments of a 1-1 Premiership draw. He faces competition from Shankland, Josh Ginnelly and, when fit, Liam Boyce for game time at the moment. It is an arduous task for any young player to muscle in ahead of any of those three.

Tait is a composed central midfielder who can also operate at left-back. He has been with Hearts throughout his teens and progressed through the club’s youth academy. Again, the challenge for game time in his favoured position is fierce with players like Baningime, Cammy Devlin, Jorge Grant and Andy Halliday likely to be around next season.

Kirk, Tait and McLuckie all trained with the Hearts first team prior to last month’s league and cup double-header against Celtic. Current pressures on the senior side make it no place for an emerging youngster just now, but all three will hope for a fresh start and new opportunities this summer.